Tim Kaiser, maker supreme, ambient maestro, and two-time Circuit Benders’ Ball performer, is returning to Nashville on Friday, April 14th to perform a special set at Make Nashville. On Saturday afternoon, he will lead a piezoelectric pick-up workshop.

Based out of Duluth, Minnesota, Tim creates his own instruments out of thrift store finds, children’s musical toys, automotive parts, and in a few cases, snow plows! He plucks, bows, loops, and bends the instruments into melodic, otherworldly ambient music. This profile by Make TV is a great introduction:

Opening the Friday evening show is Nashville keyboardist and circuit bender No Stress (Paul Horton). Paul plays in the jazz duo Concurrence and is a touring member of the Alabama Shakes. As the solo act No Stress, Paul uses circuit-bent toys, keyboards, and looping pedals to make music unlike anything you’ve heard.

Here’s Paul at the 2014 Circuit Benders’ Ball (under the moniker The Tree is Base):

Saturday afternoon from 12pm to 3pm, Tim Kaiser will lead a workshop on making piezoelectric pick-ups, the very same kind he puts in his kalimbas and bowed instruments.

Another packed weekend! On Friday, October 10th at 8 p.m. Free Form Friday returns to the Centennial Black Box Theatre. This one features Louisville, Kentucky loop-pedal melodist Cher Von and Nashville jazz improv duo Concurrence. Both have appeared on Theatre Intangible in the past. Check out Cher Von on this episode and Concurrence on this one. Dig Deep Light Show and Devin Lamp will provide the visuals.

Also on Friday, FMRL Arts is presenting An Evening with Lakha Khan, 9 p.m. at Emma Bistro. Lakha Khan performed last year at Nashville’s Downtown Presbyterian Church to an enraptured audience. I was fortunate enough to record the audio to the show, which is now being released by Khan’s label Amarass Records. (UPDATE: I found out the live audio they used for the recording was not the signal from the Marantz field recorder I was operating. It was the audio from a Zoom recorder someone else was operating.) Copies of the recording will be available at the Emma Bistro show.

On Saturday, October 11th, don’t miss the 2014 Nashville Print Crawl from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Attendees grab a poster template from the first printshop they visit and then travel to shops around town to complete the print. It sounds like a ton of fun. Participating printshops include Sawtooth Printhouse, Hatch Show Print, Isle of Printing, Platetone Printmaking, Goldsmith Press, Kangaroo Press, and Grand Palace Silkscreen.

On Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Oz Nashville hosts Bandaloop, a vertical dance troupe. Words don’t do it justice, so watch the Bandaloop video below.

Mike Teaney, the Music and Theater Program Coordinator for Metro Parks, put together a great bill for the new space Centennial Black Box Theatre. Mike says that one of the missions of the Centennial Park room is to, “provide a platform/venue for creative people/groups whose work may lie ‘outside of the box.'”

This special show will be the first time Waits and Concurrence have performed together. It’s an absolute must-see. $10 admission at the door or in advance at brownpapertickets.com. More info on the Facebook event page.